St. Joseph- Model of Catholic manhood
We always look to the Mother of God as the exemplar of all virtues- purity, humility, faith, hope, obedience and love. St. Joseph is model that has been coming more into his own over the last few decades. At the beginning of the Second Vatican Council, the first invention made by a Bishop concerned the lack of devotion and attention given to the Spouse of Mary and the Guardian of the Redeeemer. Pope John XXIII had just previously in 1959 added the name of St. Joseph to the Canon of the Mass.
If men are looking for a good exemplar of Catholic manhood, they need look no further than St. Joseph. He is known as the “Most chaste Spouse,” and the “Guardian/ Foster Father of Jesus Christ.” We also celebrate him as the model of workers on May 1 as a response to the Communist perversion of the nature of work and the human person.
Joseph I believe embodies four things that men need to address today. The first is that he is a man who listens to the voice of God and then acts. That means that he is a man of prayer which attunes him to the will of God. REAL MEN PRAY. Then he is able to act on what God asked him to do with confidence and courage.
The second attribute of Joseph that men can adopt is a chaste and pure heart. Men in this culture are viewed and coarse and lustful beings. As a just man, Joseph sought to live a life of balance and have an undivided heart for God and those who are entrusted to his care. One of the most serious obstacles to true human growth for men is pornography and it is seen by some as normal. It is an insidious evil that slowly degrades the person as well as the persons with whom the man will come into contact. If we put garbage into ourselves, don’t expect a rose garden to come out.
Joseph is also a humble man. He is one who serves with a sense of honor in his word and his deeds. He is a man of integrity who seeks to live with justice and mercy in regard to others, becuase all he has is a gift from God.
Lastly, tonight, I believe that Joseph is vigilant. He pays attention to what is going on around him, so that he can see the dangers coming toward him and those whom he loves long before they arrive, so that he can prevent them from bringing harm to his family. By his availability to God, he is also available to others. May all men find in St. Joseph a strong example of how to be a real man and an advocate who intercedes for us to Jesus to help us in this world.
